The invention generally relates to devices for managing and organizing cables and wires associated with electronic equipment.
Electronic equipment such as computers, fax machines, printers and related peripheral components such as keyboards, monitors, speakers, etc. have multiple cables and wires connecting the various pieces of equipment and related components. The multitude of wires and cables can quickly lead to a mass of tangled wires and cables that can be unsightly and present a hazard for tripping users or catching on other items such as chairs. This situation is especially common in an office or other business and/or residential setting.
There are several types of cable and wire management devices that attempt to solve the above identified problem. One type of management device, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,402 to Magenheimer and U.S. Patent Application No. 2004/0026558 to Murphy includes hooks that can be movably mounted to a track that can be mounted to a vertical surface. While these types of devices are capable of supporting cables and wires, these devices do not appear capable of accommodating additional peripheral equipment such as powers strips, power supplies, routers, etc. In addition, neither of these devices is capable of supporting cables or wires when the track is mounted underneath a horizontal surface, such as the underside of a desk or table. The ability to be mounted to the underside of a desk or table is especially useful in home or business office settings where a vertical surface, such as a wall, is unavailable and/or inconvenient.
Another type of management device includes individual hooks or rings that are fixedly mounted to a track or other surface. U.S. Pat. No. 6,378,811 to Potter et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,427,952 to Caveney et al. and WO1997/44605 to Carlson disclose hooks that can be fixedly mounted directly to a surface or track. U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,539 to Tran et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,629,675 to Bjorklund et al. disclose hooks or rings fixedly mounted to a support track. Devices such as the type disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,378,811, 5,893,539 and 6,629,675 do not appear capable of accommodating additional peripheral equipment, such as power strips, nor are they capable of supporting cables or wires when mounted underneath a horizontal surface. While devices such as those described by U.S. Pat. No. 6,427,952, WO1997/44605 may be capable of supporting cables or wires when mounted underneath a horizontal surface, they do not appear capable of supporting additional peripheral equipment.
Yet another type of management device includes a cavity or trough mounted to a surface such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,258,583 to Baiza, U.S. Pat. No. 7,075,010 to Santelli, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,508 to Deimen et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 6,137,057 to Gutgsell. While these devices are capable of being mounted underneath a horizontal surface, they do not appear capable of accommodating additional peripherals such as power strips. In addition, devices such as those disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,075,010, 5,971,508 and 6,137,057 are only open at the ends, limiting the ability of wires or cables to enter or exit the device to only the ends, which can makes these types of devices difficult and cumbersome to use.